Ohio Breweries by Rick Armon

Mike Arnold is the brewer at the Marietta Brewing Co., located along the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio. The brewpub is downtown and in a skinny row building, which used to serve as an alley until a roof was added and it was enclosed. In addition to having an emphasis on beer, the brewpub also is a great music venue.

Not everyone must have a Christmas Ale. For those folks, Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland offers up Festivus Ale starting Tuesday (Nov. 1). It's a play on the famous Seinfeld episode featuring the made-up holiday of Festivus. It's also a funny name choice because one of the best known Christmas beers -- Great Lakes Christmas Ale -- is brewed right around the corner from Market Garden. Brewer Andy Tveekrem calls it "an alternative to other Christmas Ales that some folks may be familiar with. It's a Festivus for the rest of us!" The 8 percent holiday beer is brewed with ginger, allspice, cinnamon and brown sugar. "It is very smooth thanks to the caramelized wort -- similar to Scotch ale brewing technique -- we use as a base," he said.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will release its Frosted Frog Christmas Ale on Tuesday (Nov. 1). The beer is an imperial nut brown-style ale with cinnamon, ginger, orange and nutmeg. "It tastes and smells awesome and it has beaten many other leaders in this beer style in blind taste tests," brewer and owner Fred Karm said in an email. Frosted Frog will be available at the brewery and retail outlets in Hoppin' Frog's signature 22-ounce bottles. Meanwhile, Barrel-Aged Frosted Frog, which was aged in oak bourbon barrels for a year, will be available only at the brewery starting Dec. 1. The cost is $7.99 for Frosted Frog and $12.99 for the Barrel-Aged Frosted Frog.

D. G. Yuengling & Son made a huge debut in northern and central Ohio earlier this month. Apparently so big, in fact, that the Pennsylvania brewery has pushed back its plan to distribute bottles and cans in the Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo markets starting Monday (Oct. 31). “We put in a pretty aggressive plan in northern Ohio, but the customer response was so overwhelming — in some cases triple what we expected — that it really backed us up,” Pat Noone, business development manager for the brewery, told the Dayton Daily News. The newspaper reports that cans and bottles won't arrive until Nov. 14, but draft beer will still hit area bars on Monday. To read the full story, click here.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland has scheduled its popular Brewmaster's Dinners and Beer School dates for 2012. The dinners -- held once a month on Tuesdays -- include a tour of the brewery, food and special beers. The cost is $50. The Beer School features a tour and tasting, and participants learn about the brewing process. The cost is $30. They are held twice a month. For specific dates and times, or to make reservations, click here.

UPDATED: As a former producer for Larry King Live, James Knott knew he wanted to keep busy with video producing even after he became a stay-at-home dad. So he combined one love with another: video and drinking beer. Knott built a three-camera, professional set in the basement of his suburban Columbus house and last year launched the Better Beer Authority, an online talk show devoted to beer. "Beer is a fairly inexpensive activity that you can do with your friends, so I thought it would be fun to get a bunch of guys together to review beers in a talk show format," he said. "It is modeled after my experience at Larry King Live. I figured that once the set was built it would be a fairly cheap show to produce."

The 36-year-old Knott really knew nothing about beer at the time, admitting his drink of choice was always Miller Lite before. But by researching issues such as how beer is made and different styles, he quickly went from "beer noob to beer geek without even realizing it." The show format is pretty simple: Knott is the host and either chats with friends while they review a beer or he interviews special guests about the beer industry. (Below are a couple photos.) A new video is posted each week. This week's video features me discussing my book Ohio Breweries. One of the funniest episodes involves Knott and his friends doing a blind tasting of Coors Light, Bud Light or Miller Lite, and trying to figure out which is which.

Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. will hold a ceremonial tapping for its Moerlein Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale at 7 p.m. Friday at MOTR Pub in Cincinnati. Christian Moerlein describes the beer as a "large malt-bodied ale with the essence of chocolate sweetness. The balanced hop finish creates a subtle spice flavor sure to excite your taste butds and bring you that cozy, warm feeling for those crisp, wintry nights." For more details about the event, click here. Speaking of Christian Moerlein, Cincinnati Enquirer food writer Polly Campbell wrote a story last week about the Moerlein Lager House -- the brewery's upcoming brewpub located along the Ohio River -- hiring its executive chef. To read the article, click here.

Stone Brewing Co. Chief Executive Officer Greg Koch will be in the Cleveland area on Tuesday (Nov. 1) to sign copies of his new book The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes and Unabashed Arrogance ($25, Ten Speed Press). Stone is the maker of such beers as Arrogant Bastard and Ruination IPA. After a private event at John Carroll University for students and faculty, he will visit Lizardville in Bedford Heights from 5 to 6:30 p.m.; the Winking Lizard Tavern in Bedford Heights from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; and the Winking Lizard in Independence from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Not surprisingly, the Winking Lizard will have plenty of Stone beers on tap.

John Lane runs the Winking Lizard Tavern's World Beer Tour. The Winking Lizard is a chain of great bar-restaurants stretching from Cleveland to Columbus. With its beefy beer menu filled with crafts and imports, the chain has helped turn countless people, in Lane's words, into "beer geeks." The World Beer Tour -- for those unfamiliar -- is on opportunity for people to drink 100 different beers from around the world within the calendar year. People get prizes when they reach the half-way mark (T-shirt) and when they finish (a Winking Lizard jacket). About 6,000 beer drinkers each year participate, although not everyone finishes.

Question: The World Beer Tour is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Why did the Winking Lizard start the tour?

Indigo Imp Winter Solstice isn't the only Ohio beer name that is disappearing thanks to a trademark issue. Black Jack Porter, a beer made by The Brew Kettle in Strongsville, also is going away. Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., also makes a Black Jack Porter. There was no legal action, but "we talked and agreed that once we ran out of labels, we'd relaunch with a new name," The Brew Kettle award-winning brewer Jack Kephart said. The brewery just ran out of labels so a new name is in the offing. Kephart said the brewery is still mulling over names.

Samuel Adams employees will offer free advice to people looking to start or grow a small business in the food, beverage or hospitality industry from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday in Shaker Heights in suburban Cleveland. The event is part of the Samuel Adams "Brewing the American Dream" program. Brewery workers and local business experts will provide advice during 20-minute "speed coaching" sessions at the Shaker Launch House, 3558 Lee Road. The Boston Beer Co. started the Brewing the American Dream program in 2008 in New England to offer microloans and mentoring resources to small business owners in the food, beverage and hospitality industry. The program expanded to Ohio in February. To date, more than 700 jobs have been created or saved and the program has helped over 100 businesses, the company said. Businesses in Ohio that have taken advantage include JC’s Sweet Tea, Colonel De Gourmet Herbs & Spices, Just Great Foods and You Mix-It Up. To register or for more information, click here.

Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter John Petkovic spent the last month visiting bars around Cleveland compiling a rundown of 100 great places. His list -- called the After Dark Guide to Barland -- includes the Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood, Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland and Willoughby Brewing Co. in Willoughby. To read the full story and see the bars, click here.

Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale won the recent blind pumpkin beer tasting at Vintage Estate Wine and Beer in Boardman, besting 13 others in one of the most unusual beer competitions around. About 70 people tasted 14 different pumpkin beers -- without even knowing which brands they were sampling -- and selected their favorite. Stegmaier, made by the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., came out on top. "The pumpkin ale was very well balanced and drinkable," Vintage Estate owner Phill Reda said in an email. "It wasn't over the top like a liquid pumpkin pie, but had enough flavor that you knew it was a pumpkin ale." He plans to invite the brewmaster to his store to pick up a special certificate.

Brewmaster Jay Peters, who just happens to be originally from Youngstown, was thrilled that his beer came out on top. "I'm really pleased to hear that because I thought we did an excellent job," he said. Pumpkin beers are made or broken with the spices, he said. "We nailed our spices this year," Peters said. The beer also is made with real pumpkin.

Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. will hold a news conference this morning to provide an update on its new brewpub, which is under construction along the Ohio River in Cincinnati. The Moerlein Lager House is slated to open Feb. 6. The news conference -- which will feature the head chef and brewmaster -- is set for 11:30 a.m. at the National Underground Freedom Center. The company, which also has a production brewery in town, is now hiring for the brewpub.

While the craft segment of the beer industry continues to grow, the overall beer industry -- think big national brands -- is taking it on the chin from wine and spirits. Big brewers apparently know they need a kick in the pants, Advertising Age says. "The days of beer guys knocking each other around and not worrying too much about spirits and wine is over, and it's frankly been over for a long time," MillerCoors CEO Tom Long said, as quoted by the trade journal, in a speech to beer distributors gathered in Las Vegas for a meeting of the National Beer Wholesalers Association. "And if we're going to thrive long term, then we're going to have to look at those competitors and as an industry take on the challenge of brand beer. Make no mistake: our success over the next five years depends on that." By year's end, experts are forecasting beer volume to be down about 2 percent, Advertising Age said. To read the full story, click here.

The Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood will hold its first-ever Pumpkin Night from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday. The event features a pumpkin carving contest. The pumpkin beers available include Southern Tier Pumpking, Dogfish Head Punkin, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin, Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale and Arcadia Jaw-Jacker Ale. There are only 30 spots available for the event. To reserve a spot, call 216-226-2337.

Granite City Food & Brewery, which operates a restaurant in suburban Toledo and sells its beer there, has announced it's opening a new location in suburban Detroit early next year. It's the first opening in two years for the St. Louis Park, Minn.-based chain. The Troy, Mich., location is the 27th site for the company. "We could not be happier to put Granite City back in a growth mode and Troy is the perfect place to begin that growth," CEO Rob Doran said in a statement. Granite City also has announced plans to expand four locations in Minnesota and Iowa. To read the stories in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, click here and here.

UPDATED: Acme Fresh Market will hold a special beer tasting featuring several Northeast Ohio breweries from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at its Cuyahoga Falls store on Bailey Road. The participating breweries are Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., The Brew Kettle, Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon. The Acme store sells draft beer so customers will be able to purchase growlers in addition to the tasting.

One of the special beers will be Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA, which won a bronze medal at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. The rest of the lineup: Thirsty Dog barrel-aged 12 Dogs of Christmas, Thirsty Dog Summit 330 IPA, Brew Kettle Old 21, Great Lakes Big Black Smoke and Fat Head's Citra Pale Ale. The grocer will sell 2-ounce samples for 25 cents.

Say goodbye to Indigo Imp Brewery's Winter Solstice. And say hello to Winter Soul. Indigo Imp, a production brewery in Cleveland, has decided to retire the Winter Solstice name because Anderson Valley Brewing Co. has a trademark on Winter Solstice. Instead of trying to fight over the name in court, owner and brewer Matt Chappel opted to rename his beer -- and retool it. "We're going to make a very similar beer higher in alcohol and with a little bit more bitterness," he said. Winter Soul is now available during Cleveland Beer Week.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream are partnering on a new ice cream flavor for the holiday season: Christmas Ale Ginger Snap. The primary flavor will be Christmas Ale, which is made with honey, ginger and cinnamon. Mitchell’s adds fresh organic ginger, a dash of Vietnamese cinnamon, local honey and homemade ginger snaps.

"Similar to re-purposing spent brewer’s grain to make GLBC’s gourmet bread and pretzels, a small amount of residual Christmas Ale (previously expelled after the bottle filling process) is now captured from the filler and supplied to Mitchell’s," Great Lakes said in a news release. "This process helps both companies achieve their philosophies of zero waste."

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron released its latest batch of Fresh Frog Raw Hop Imperial Pale Ale today for Cleveland Beer Week. All locally grown hops were used just hours after being picked. That provides "for a massive, raw, undried addition to the brew kettle for the freshest hop character possible," brewer Fred Karm said in an email. The beer is available at the brewery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week.

Cleveland Beer Week is in full swig .... oops, sorry .... swing right now. Christine Montague helps organize the event, which runs through Saturday and concludes with the giant beer festival known as Brewzilla in downtown Cleveland.

The new Zauber Brewing Co. in Columbus owes its name to The Ohio State University. Well, in a very roundabout way. Brewer Geoff Towne – an Indiana University graduate with degrees in biology and history -- wanted to come up with a catchy nickname for his beer. “I felt that the 9,000-pound gorilla in this town is The Ohio State University, which naturally with me going to Indiana University was ‘the’ abuse,” he said with a laugh over dinner last week at BJ’s Restaurant in Columbus. “So that part stuck with me, and with a bad German accent I thought we could replicate ‘the’ with ‘zee.’ Like zee brown beer, zee red beer, zee yellow beer. It would be a hook that any Joe could figure out.” The brewery website is zbeers.com.

Since he had the catchphrase and hook, he needed a brewery name that started with a Z. He settled on Zauber, which in German means “magic.” “Beer is magical,” the talkative 35-year-old said. “There is something magical about it. And we’re bringing a business out of nowhere as if by magic.”

The third annual Cleveland Beer Week kicks off today. The celebration of craft beer runs Oct. 14-22 and features hundreds of tastings, dinners, demonstrations, educational programs and specials at bars, restaurants and groceries throughout Northeast Ohio. The official opening ceremony is "Grains vs. Grapes: The Ultimate Matchup," featuring Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery and Marianne Franz of the American Wine School. The event is at 6:30 p.m. today at the Crowne Plaza. Tickets are $75. For a full rundown of events, click here.

Barley's Smokehouse in Columbus has a special beer coming on tap: Fortune Teller East India Imperial Porter. At this point, every beer drinker knows the story of how the British hopped up their ales to preserve them on long trips to India by ship. Thus the term India pale ale. "What I discovered, though, is that IPAs were shipped only for officers' consumption," Barley's owner Lenny Kolada said in an email. "Porters were the main beer consumed by the masses at the time, so a hopped up version of porter was brewed to be consumed by the enlisted troops ... We thought that the historical hop rate was a bit much for us to duplicate, and we decided to up the grain bill a bit to balance out the flavors. The result is a hoppy 'imperial' porter that we think will clock in at 7.5 percent alcohol by volume. We're not sure but this may be the first hoppy high gravity porter in the USA. At least we're not aware of anyone else who has brewed a porter patterned after the historical British one." Kolada wasn't sure when the Fortune Teller will be on tap yet.

If that weren't enough reason to visit Barley's, the brewpubs -- there are two locations -- also picked up two Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels this week. The Barley's Barleywine is going into one at the downtown location, and Fortune Teller will go into the other at the Smokehouse. "We don't have a name for the barrel-conditioned Fortune Teller yet, but it will be a jolt with the bourbon and vanilla notes we expect to get," Kolada said. (Below is a photo of brewer Angelo Signorino with the barrels.)

The owner of the Youngstown Sports Grille in Boardman says he's invented a new style of Samuel Adams called "Red October." A couple of weeks ago, Sean Pregibon mixed Samuel Adams Octoberfest with Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat and laced the rim of the glass with cinnamon and brown sugar. "It is absolutely amazing," he said in an email. "We usually pour a barrel of Sam Cherry a week (which is REALLY good) -- last week, we poured three barrels!!! Everyone is drinking it!" The cost is $4 a pint.

Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland picked up a special mention by Draft Magazine, earning a spot on the publication's "12 breweries to watch in 2011" list. "(Brewer Andy) Tveekrem's sessionable creations for Market Garden are decidedly tamer than his Dogfish suds -- many of them clock in under 5 percent ABV -- and lean closer to the brewing ethos he developed in his early days at Great Lakes Brewing," the magazine writes. Tveekrem worked at both Dogfish Head and Great Lakes. Draft recommends trying Market Garden's American lager and honey barleywine. Market Garden is the only Ohio brewery that made the list. To read the entire story, click here.

The Genesee Brewing Co. in Rochester, N.Y., is bringing back 12 Horse Ale this week in grand style. To mark the occasion, the beer will be delivered Wednesday to bars and restaurants in Rochester by horse and buggy -- just as it was back in 1933. 12 Horse Ale, which will be available in stubby bottles, was killed off by the brewery in 1997 only to be revived in 1999 and then sent off to the glue factory again in 2003 because of poor sales. It's considered by some to be the best beer ever made by Genesee Brewing. The beer will be sold as part of the Genesee Heritage Collection, a case that also features Genesee and Genesee Cream Ale in stubby bottles. The Heritage Collection should be available in Ohio later this month.

Michael Danks had always been intrigued about brewing his own beer. But it wasn’t until late last year, after sampling a ton of different craft beers as part of the Winking Lizard’s World Beer Tour, that he decided to take the plunge into the hobby. He hasn’t been disappointed. “It’s fun to make the beer and have it on draft at the house when the buddies come over,” said Danks, a 25-year-old construction engineer from Akron. “A lot of my friends are Bud Light and Labatt, macro-brew guys and it’s nice to expose them to homebrews and craft beer.” Thanks to folks like Danks, homebrewing is seeing a surge in popularity. A recent survey by the American Homebrewers Association found that homebrew shops saw gross revenue climb 16 percent last year and a vast majority reported a jump in the sales of beginner’s kits. To read the full story in today's Akron Beacon Journal, click here.

Jim Lieb is the head brewer at Rocky River Brewing Co., a terrific brewpub located on the west side of Cleveland. He took over the brewing operation after Matt Cole left to open Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon and has kept the beer quality high. As for the brewpub itself, the owners designed the entire restaurant around a clock face that they bought at an antiques show. It hangs above the ample 60-foot long bar.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron has released its new 330 Summit IPA. The name is a play on the 330 area code in Akron and the beer is made with all Summit hops. Thirsty Dog happens to be located in Summit County. The beer clocks in at 70 IBUs and 6 percent alcohol, co-owner John Najeway said. It made its debut Saturday at the Celebration of the Hop IPA festival at Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted. It will be available on draft at the Thirsty Dog tasting room, and sold by the growler at West Point Market in Akron and select Acme Fresh Markets in the Akron area that offer draft beer, Najeway said. Thirsty Dog trademarked the 330 area code earlier this year after Anheuser-Busch InBev trademarked area codes in many major U.S. cities, including Cleveland.

The Brew Kettle won the "Best of Show" award for its White Rajah on Saturday at Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon's third annual Celebration of the Hop, a festival that focuses only on India pale ales. It was the second year in a row that White Rajah took home the special belt awarded to the best of show winner. The White Rajah won the IPA award and then bested Columbus Brewing Co.'s Bodhi, which won the double IPA award, for the overall top honor. The event, held outside at the Fat Head's brewpub in North Olmsted, featured more than 30 India pale ales, with the vast majority from Northeast Ohio. "Thirty is not bad and I think it's going to grow," said Matt Cole, co-owner and brewer at Fat Head's. "The beers are getting better and better and we're super proud to be part of the hop renaissance that's happening here in the Midwest ... Seriously, the competition was as fierce as it's ever been." As Eric Bean, owner and brewer at Columbus Brewing, accepted his award, Cole said: "CBC, they do some of the best hoppy beers in the state of Ohio." Apparently, others agree. Columbus Brewing also took home the "People's Choice" award. Fat Head's, which has won numerous national awards for its Head Hunter IPA, including two Great American Beer Festival medals, didn't enter its own competition. That prompted The Brew Kettle brewer Jack Kephart to remark while accepting his award: "I still say it isn't a real competition until Head Hunter is in it." Below are some photos:

Patrick Orr, who writes a beer column for the Idaho Statesman newspaper, had plenty of nice things to say about Ohio breweries after his visit to the recent Great American Beer Festival in Denver. He called Willoughby Brewing Co.'s Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter the best beer he tasted. "The chocolate, espresso and peanut flavors were subtle and were perfectly balanced with smooth malt," he wrote. "So, so good." He also praised Oil of Aphrodite Imperial Stout from Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens; and Head Hunter IPA and Hop JuJu from Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted. To read his column, click here.

The Big Beers & Barley Wines Beer Fest -- which features an amazing list of more than 130 hearty brews -- is from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Roundhouse at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton. The festival brags that "No one can walk away from this festival unsatisfied." One look at the beer list would explain why organizers are so confident in making that claim. (To view the beer list, click here.) Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Resident Home Association of Greater Dayton. Sponsors include Belmont Party Supply and BrewTensils. For more details about the event, click here.

The West Point Market, an upscale grocer in Akron that's celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, will hold its first-ever beer tasting from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28. The event will feature beer from Elevating Brewing Co., Mount Carmel Brewing Co., The Brew Kettle, Lager Heads Brewing Co., Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Indigo Imp Brewery, Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon, and Cellar Rats Brewery. For a list of the beers each brewery is bringing, click here. The beer tasting also features food, including homemade sausage marinara, warm German potato salad with bacon, bacon cheddar steak burger sliders, pretzels and cheeses. If that weren't enough, the beer tasting includes a halloween costume contest with prizes for first, second and third places. The cost is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Also, I will be a special guest and be around to sign copies of my new book Ohio Breweries. Call 330-864-2151 to make a reservation.

UPDATED:Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon will hold its third annual IPA Festival on Saturday (Oct. 8). The event will feature about 30 India pale ales, with 75 percent of them coming from local breweries. (Click here to see the entire list provided by Fat Head's.) "I'm really excited about that," co-owner and brewer Matt Cole said about the local response. "There are going to be some really good beers there." In addition to the tasting, awards will be given for best IPA and best double IPA. "We are slowly building this thing up to make it an annual event that I hope these guys continue to compete for local bragging rights," Cole said. One brewery not represented in the competition? Fat Head's. Cole, whose Head Hunter IPA has won two medals at the last two Great American Beer Festivals, said he doesn't feel it's right to enter his own competition. It wouldn't look good if he won, he said chuckling. Even though Fat Head's won't compete for any awards, its IPAs will be available for festival-goers to sample. There are two tasting sessions: 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $30 in advance (or $35 at the door) and that gets you 15 drink tickets.

Apparently, some folks are really, really excited about Yuengling coming to Ohio. The Youngstown Sports Grille in Boardman created a "Wall of Yuengling Taps," turning every tap at the bar into a Yuengling tap. (see photo below) Why did owner Sean Pregibon do that? "Why the hell not?!!" he said in an email. "We have been waiting 182 years for it!"

Brewzilla — the giant beer festival that concludes the upcoming Cleveland Beer Week — will feature a special treat for hop lovers. Fourteen craft breweries in Northeast Ohio made the same pale ale with one major difference in the recipe: Each used a different hop, the ingredient that provides beer with its bitter aroma and flavor. All 14 pale ales will be lined up next to each other at Brewzilla on Oct. 22 at the Galleria in downtown Cleveland, giving the public an opportunity to taste how a single hop affects the same beer. To read the full story in today's Akron Beacon Journal, click here.

Drinking Made Easy, which kicks off a second season with an hourlong episode Wednesday night on the HDNet network, is a TV show devoted to booze and over indulging. To the extreme. The premise is pretty simple. Host Zane Lamprey and his cohorts travel around the U.S. in buses stopping at restaurants, bars, distilleries and breweries along the way to sample the "signature" drinks in each community. They drink fast and drink hard. And amuse each other with silly challenges like seeing who can eat the most fried ravioli or who can toss a keg the farthest. Animal House's John Blutarsky would be glued to the show.

"The new season is measurably better than the first season because we didn't do a comedy tour with it," Zamprey told me Tuesday by phone. "We just went and shot the TV shows and we were able to focus on it a lot more. The second season is so much better." The first season, which is available for purchase at http://drinkingmadeeasy.com, was a bit scattered, he said. Of course, that was part of the charm of the show. "I'm very proud of the whole [second] season," Lamprey said. "Every episode has some surprise to it. It's just a lot more cohesive and more methodical ... That doesn't mean we don't get crazy. That's what the show is about."

Anheuser-Busch InBev has announced that it will invest more than $1 billion in its U.S. facilities from 2011 to 2014, but that's less than half of what Anheuser-Busch spent before it was sold to InBev in 2008, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Mark Swartzberg told the newspaper that the drop is due to flat or declining domestic beer sales. He predicted that the company will invest more in the craft beer segment. Anheuser-Busch InBev operates a large brewery in Columbus. To read the entire story, click here.

Rockmill Brewery, which makes Belgian-style farmhouse ales, is releasing a new beer: Cask Aged Tripel. It's a golden ale aged in whiskey barrels, and, as with all its beers, sold in a corked 750 ml bottle. The new label is at the left. Rockmill is located just outside Lancaster on a former horse farm. Brewer Matthew Barbee makes his beer in the former horse stables.

Yuengling finally hit Ohio retail stores, bars and restaurants on Monday. Some people camped out overnight in suburban Columbus to be the first to buy it. In suburban Youngstown, the Youngstown Sports Grille turned every tap handle into a Yuengling handle. “I thought that this launch was going to make history for Yuengling and set the standard for future state launches, and Ohioans are going to make that happen,” said Patrick Noone, the brewery business development manager overseeing the move into Ohio. “It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like this.” To read my story in today's Akron Beacon Journal, click here. Other media also carried the story: Columbus Dispatch, Youngstown Vindicator, Willoughby News-Herald, Ravenna Record-Courier and WKYC-TV Channel 3.

Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon will build its new production brewery in Middleburg Heights in suburban Cleveland. Fat Head's co-owner and brewer Matt Cole had been holding off publicly disclosing the site, but Crain's Cleveland Business mentioned the location today online. The business newspaper wrote about the brewery's upcoming expansion. To read the story, click here.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery and Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon are thrilled with their wins at last weekend's Great American Beer Festival. Brewers Fred Karm and Matt Cole aren't newbies when it comes to accepting medals for their beer recipes. Both have won national awards in past years so it's no surprise to see their impressive two-medal showings at this year's event.

Hoppin' Frog won a gold for its B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout and a bronze for its Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW, a barleywine. "It's nice to bring home hardware for all of us to celebrate," Karm said Monday. "We're ecstatic. I'm very happy because we work very hard."

This is the first in a series of Q&As with players in the Ohio beer industry. I hope to provide a new Q&A each Monday. Enjoy.

Eric Bean is the owner and brewer at Columbus Brewing Co. in Columbus. Columbus Brewing, the second-oldest craft brewery in Ohio, won a bronze medal last year at the Great American Beer Festival for its Summer Teeth, a kellerbier. It's also gotten rave reviews for its Hop Odessey program, which involves the brewery releasing a new hoppy beer on draft each month. Columbus Brewing is a bit of an oddity. It's a restaurant and a production brewery. Nothing strange there. But the brewery and restaurant are owned and operated independently -- even though they share the same building.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery and Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon each won two medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival in Denver. The winners were announced Saturday. They were the only two Ohio-based breweries to take home awards. Hoppin' Frog in Akron won a gold for its BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout in the imperial stout category and a bronze for its Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW in the wood- and barrel-aged strong beer category. BORIS also won a gold medal in 2008. Fat Head's in North Olmsted won a gold for its Battle Axe Baltic Porter in the baltic-style porter category and a bronze for its Head Hunter IPA in the American-style India pale ale category. Anheuser-Busch InBev, which has a brewery in Columbus, won a silver medal for Busch Light in the American-style lager, light lager or premium lager category. Miller Brewing Co., which operates a brewery in Trenton, won a gold for Red Dog in the American-style lager or cream ale or lager category. To see the complete list of winners, click here.